Yesterday’s blog post focused on how LinkedIn® can help overcome the disadvantages of traditional resumes when assessing contract candidates. Well, a recent www.ere.net article suggests that LinkedIn Profiles could replace resumes altogether, not just supplement them.
In the article, Dr. Charles Handler, founder of pre-employment testing and assessment consulting firm Rocket-Hire, points out some of the fatal flaws of resumes, most notably that they don’t have a standardized format and can’t be objectively searched for specific skills or experience needed for a specific situation. He believes that the resume is crying out for a replacement and is convinced that interactive online profiles, like those found in LinkedIn, are the best substitute.
Not only does LinkedIn provide all the information that a traditional resume provides, it also allows you to verify that information through recommendations people may leave on the Profiles and through the site’s reference checking function (this requires an upgrade to “LinkedIn Premium”), Handler stated in the article. The Profiles also allow candidates to provide links to other useful information, such as any Web sites they may have or other Social Media profiles.
So is Handler right? Will online profiles like those in LinkedIn replace the old-fashioned paper resume? Only time will tell. One thing is certain, though: LinkedIn and other Social Media sites are changing the game of recruiting. Are you ready?
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